REUTER's: MACRON ON TURKEY - August 28, 2020
REUTERS, August 28, 2020
France's Macron says he set
red lines with Turkey in eastern Mediterranean.
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PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that
he had taken a tough stance over the summer with regard to Turkey’s actions in
the eastern Mediterranean, setting red lines because Ankara respects actions
not words.
Relations between France and Turkey have soured in recent months over
Ankara’s role in NATO, Libya and the Mediterranean.
Macron has called for the EU to show solidarity with Greece and Cyprus
in the dispute over natural gas reserves off Cyprus and the extent of their
continental shelves and has pushed for further sanctions at EU level, although
there are divisions in the bloc over the issue.
“When it comes to Mediterranean sovereignty, I have to be consistent in
deeds and words,” Macron told reporters at a news conference.
“I can tell you that the Turks only consider and respect that. If you
say words that are not followed by acts...What France did this summer was
important: it’s a red line policy. I did it in Syria,” he said referring to
French air strikes against suspected chemical weapons sites in Syria.
France this week joined military exercises with Italy, Greece and Cyprus
in the eastern Mediterranean as the dispute between Turkey and Greece escalated
after Ankara sent its Oruc Reis survey vessel to disputed waters this month, a
move Athens has called illegal.
Macron said he had been firm, but restrained.
“It was proportionate. We didn’t send an armada,” he said.
Macron has repeatedly demanded further EU sanctions against Turkey and
the two NATO allies almost came to blows in June after a French warship
attempted to inspect a Turkish vessel as part of a U.N. arms embargo for Libya.
“I don’t consider that in recent years Turkey’s strategy is the strategy
of a NATO ally ... when you have a country which attacks the exclusive economic
zones or the sovereignty of two members of the European Union,” he said,
describing Turkey’s actions as provocations.
“What would our credibility be in handling Belarus if we did not react
to attacks on the sovereignty of our own members?”
Germany has sought a less confrontational approach, attempting to
mediate between Ankara and Athens.
On Tuesday their respective foreign ministers said they wanted to solve
the matter through dialogue following talks with German Foreign Minister Heiko
Maas. However, each warned that they would continue to defend their rights in
the region.
“Germany and other partners are beginning to agree with us that Turkey’s
agenda is problematic today,” Macron said. “When six months ago people were
saying France is the only one blaming Turkey for things, everyone now sees that
there is a problem.”
Reporting by
Michel Rose and Elizabeth Pineau; Writing by John Irish; Editing by Chris Reese
and Frances Kerry
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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